Ed wrote:
Hi my name is Ed and im new to this group.

I live in the Pacific Northwest and have a small yard. I want to put
in
a couple of Raised garden beds. I would appreciate any advice on
growing vegetables in raised gardens and any ideas on plans for
raised
gardens.

In a nutshell,

0) location, location, location. Full sun, even if the soil is poor.
You can always make good soil by adding tons of compost. And as close
to the house as feasible.

1) you need bed edges. I think the simplest option is cinder blocks,
buried a few inches to discourage weed rhizomes from coming in. You can
fill the holes in the cinder blocks with soil and put a plant in
there.The blocks will gently lime the soil.

2) you need paths between the beds, else you will have weeds in there
constantly coming into your beds. Simplest thing is lay down some
plastic sheeting, tucked under the cinder blocks, and cover with
gravel. This will also keep your boots relatively clean.
Path width should be so that you can maneuver a wheelbarrow with ease.

3) bed size. 4 feet is the standard width, and for multiple pickings
(say, peas or tomatoes) you should not exceeed it, if anything, go
lower. For single pickings (like, cabbage) you can go wider than 4 ft.
Length can be anything but unless you can get very organized, you may
end up spending a lot of time walking around the beds. I suggest 20 ft,
or longer with a stepping stone in the middle for quick changes of
sides.

4) bed height. variable because you will be adding organic material
continuously. Start with at least two inches of manure, if you can get
it.

Soil: start with a soil test to get an idea of what is there and what
is missing. Then if P is missing, add bone meal or phosphate, etc. If
the soil is too sandy or too clayey, expect the soil to improve over
two or three years, with overall addition of organic matter of order
one foot (will compact down to a few inches). In my beds I put wood
chips, manure, leaves, composted kitchen scraps, cardboard for
smothering last year's surviving veggies, and wood ash. Good soil is
not made in a day.

Existing vegetation in beds: smother with cardboard or newspapers
tucked under cinder blocks. Remove larger shrubs, including roots.

Irrigation: drip strongly recommended, unless you enjoy spending time
with a hose in your hand. Believe it or not, it is not difficult to
install.

Fencing: as needed, once pests are recognized. Do not go incremental,
or you will train them. If you decide you have groundhogs, put up a
partially buried fence with electric wire on top. You need to stop them
cold. Put up only a fence, and they will learn to scale it, or dig
under.

Then buy one of many excellent books about organic vegetable gardening
out there and start experimenting. Depending on sun exposure, climate,
and soil, not everything will grow well on your site. Learn to
appreciate what grows well if you want gardening happiness. I am now
very fond of red cabbage and beets, though I used to hate them. In your
area, winter vegetables are an option, so that you can have veggies
continuously through the year (I need poly tunnels over the beds to
make it happen).